Badgering a Friend
by totemo
Summary: Justin and Zacharias are back for their final school year so it's their last chance to get their feelings out in the open. JustinZacharias. Oneshot. Brief reference to Four Days fic, but don't worry, you needn't have read it to understand this one!


Disclaimer: Pshaw, I don't own this! I mean really… J. K. Rowling, you did a great thing in inventing these characters. Didn't make them _quite_ gay enough, but I'm sure I can fix that up no problem.

Warning: Contains boyXboy stuff. But it's not that bad. And you wouldn't be reading this if it didn't appeal to you so I'll shut up now.

A/N: Hello, people! 'Tis me again, returning with a whole new fic! I really like this one, actually. I have a bit of a thing for this pairing, even though it's relatively obscure. I mean come on, how can you be called Finch-Fletchley, be all set to go to Eton, and be straight? Honestly…it was written for a friend of mine called Elsie, and was originally entitled **Elsie's Wonderful Justin/ Zacharias Fic!** Kind of catchier, am I right? Anyway, this one's for her. Oh, here's an idea:

Dedication: Elsie my darling, my sweetie, my eternal slashy friend. Enjoy being fifteen for it doesn't last as long as you'd think. Please forgive my lack of money and accept cakes and slashy fics from me in place of real presents. Mwah.

Challenge: WRITE SOME JUSTINxZACHARIAS STUFF, PEOPLE! THERE'S NONE ON HERE, WHICH IS A **TRAGEDY**! Ahem, e-mail me if you decide to do this, as I hope you all will! Oh, and it can be called **'Totemo's J-Z challenge'**, if you don't mind. Thanks! Read and review, please…

**Badgering a Friend**

"But I got duuuuuuumped!" wailed Justin, throwing his head onto his arms in a most dramatic manner. Zacharias sighed inwardly.

"I know, Justin. You've already said that bit. Besides, it really doesn't matter- he doesn't go here anyway."

Sniffing, Justin looked up, curls of fair hair falling forwards across his eyes.

"I know, but it's the principle of the thing that matters. I mean, _no_ guy has ever dumped me before. I mean, look at me! I'm a freaking Adonis, for Christ's sake!"

Zacharias raised an eyebrow amusedly, muttering, "Well, with that attitude, I'm not surprised he couldn't stand much more." He ducked as Justin threw a playful slap at him.

"That's not even funny, Smith! You _know_ it's true!"

"Well… that's not the point," he mumbled, blushing slightly. "The point is, you haven't even told me who he was yet."

Justin leaned back in his seat, gazing dejectedly out of the window of the Hogwarts Express, tugging distractedly at his rainbow arm-warmers. After a small hesitation, he said, "He goes to Eton. I knew him in primary school, and we were going to go there together. We were always rather close, and he was pretty annoyed with me when I told him I wouldn't be going after all.

"I guess I finally decided to fix us up this summer- I kept putting it off- and I suppose I was just so glad he forgave me that I was really pleased when he, you know, said he liked me. It's somewhat difficult to stay straight in Eton, I know, and that combined with my devastating good looks was always going to lead in that direction, now that I think about it.

"But anyway, it turned out that he had a boyfriend in school. I was just a summer fling, I guess, which makes it hurt even more. You see, it's not that I liked him so much being dumped was devastating, it was just the _reason_, you know? At first I thought maybe he hadn't forgiven me after all, but I then I realised it's really just that… I simply don't mean anything to him anymore. He doesn't feel bad about hurting me."

Zacharias stared at his melancholy friend, and reached a hand towards him without thinking. Placing it on Justin's own- prompting an abrupt return to the carriage- he smiled.

"To tell you the truth, though I sympathise with you, I'm not exactly devastated myself. I don't think I would have liked you constantly sighing over some muggle boy, in all honesty. I much prefer you when your mind- not to mention your ever fickle heart- are here with me and your friends."

Justin looked momentarily shocked, but then his face dissolved into one of those warm smiles that always wrenched unexplainably at Zacharias' stomach. He found himself smiling back, hopeless to resist, as always.

Twisting his arm back, Justin caught his friends hand in his own- just as the compartment door flung open and a laughing group entered.

"I know! Can you believe she did that? I mean, we were only on holiday a couple of months! And- oh! Hi Justin, Zacharias! Is this where you've been hiding all this time?"

"Hi, Susan! Yeah, we were just saving you all seats, obviously!" winked Justin, hand now firmly on his lap.

Zacharias, who had reacted identically, smiled at the group, saying, "Susan, Hannah, Ernie. Long time no see! Did you all have a good summer?"

Grinning, the other three sat down, and proceeded to explain their exploits. Zacharias laughed with them, genuinely interested, but finding his mind was elsewhere. He hand was still warm, and he couldn't seem to stop thinking of Justin smiling as he held it.

"_Guadia perditus!"_ shouted Justin, flicking his wand hopelessly when nothing happened. He groaned and fell forwards onto his hands, as he was wont to do when frustrated. He moaned at Zacharias, "I don't get it. Why would you even want to do such a stupid charm anyway? What use is it making someone depressed?"

Holding back a smile, Zacharias said, "Well, I don't know, but judging by the way you're acting it's obviously worked. You've complained about pretty nearly everything this lesson. What have we had? Oh yes: 'why have they mixed the classes up? That's just _stupid_.'; 'what sort of ridiculous charm is this? Flitwick must be off his head'; 'God, Hermione Granger has it already, of course. How come she _always_ does that?' I mean, really, Justin. Get a grip! I thought you were English and proud, or whatever!"

Justin looked up, a distinctly petulant expression on his face. He glanced across the room at Hermione casting the counter spell on Ron once more, lightly kissing him as he complained yet again about being partners with someone who could actually cast the stupid makes-someone-depressed-for-a-laugh charm, silencing his objections.

"It's just annoying," he muttered, darkly.

Glancing away from the pair, Zacharias' eyes fell on Harry and his partner.

"Look, they're hopeless at it, too," he grinned, pointing them out to Justin, who rolled his eyes.

"Well, _obviously_," he intoned, as though stating the patently obvious. "They're not even trying. God, they've been all over each other since the holidays- it's ridiculous! How could they hope to cast the spell when their hands are decidedly indisposed doing something else, like running through another guy's hair or something ridiculous like that. I mean, Draco for one should be at least a little depressed. His mum died, for goodness' sake. But _no_, he just gets all up close and personal with his one-time enemy. I admit it's a little bit hot, but still, it's not fair. Everyone's seeing someone at the moment. It's like the whole world decided simultaneously to rub salt in my still exceedingly raw wounds."

Zacharias could restrain himself no longer. He burst out laughing, earning himself a glare and a half from Justin. Choking slightly, he gasped out the words, "Sorry, you just- just sound so, I don't know, childish! Really, if it's bothering you that much, just go out with that 6th year again. He clearly still likes you."

Justin looked outraged, "What, Colin? No no no, absolutely not, I'll _never_ be that desperate and lonely. Never! He was so clingy, and I'd swear it in court: that constant use of his camera is _not_ as innocent as everyone assumes!"

Laughing harder than ever, Zacharias asked, "Isn't there anyone you'd consider? Really, anyone who would stop your constant whining!"

Uncharacteristically, Justin averted his eyes, and spoke quietly- so quietly, in fact, that Zacharias couldn't hear him.

"What's that?"

"I said- I said there is someone. But, well, he's straight. And even if he wasn't, I would probably be the last guy he'd go for."

Well now, thought Zacharias. This _is_ interesting.

Lying in bed that night, Zacharias found his mind wandering- not for the first time- onto Justin. More precisely, onto what he'd said that day in charms. In the privacy of his four-poster, he grinned wickedly to himself. That had indeed been interesting; so interesting, in fact, that he had barely been able to keep his mind off it all day.

The way he saw it, there were only two things it could mean. One: Justin liked him. Two: Justin liked someone else.

Well, it was a fifty-fifty chance, and he was always going to regret it if he didn't at least find out, wasn't he?

That settled it. Tomorrow, after a loveless month back in school, he would try to bring an end to this barren spell. He would find out exactly what Justin thought of him. His mind thus made up, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Nothing left to do now but wait.

"Urgh…I hate mornings. I really do. A good hot shower is all that sustains me, I swear it is," groaned Justin.

"I know. It's just the best thing in the morning, isn't it?" replied Zacharias, from outside the cubicle. He smiled to himself for approximately the fifth time in the past fifteen minutes. He had a plan, and he was going to see it through. It was so simple…why had it never occurred to him before?

Having dried himself off and dressed, he walked silently across the room, only half listening to Justin as he rambled on about what they should do that weekend. He pulled his wand out and whispered an incantation, inaudible over the splash of water on the tiles. His first mission accomplished, he walked quietly back to the other side of the room and busied himself with drying his hair.

The sound of water stopped, and after a few seconds Justin stepped out of the shower, hair dripping, decency preserved with a fluffy white towel around his waist. He walked forwards a couple more paces, then scanned the room, puzzled.

"What the-? Where are my clothes?" Comprehension dawned on him, and he turned to face Zacharias, an evil smile beginning to curl his lips. "You…what a cruel prank!"

The two burst out laughing, and Justin launched himself at the smaller boy, crying, "You're going to pay for that one, Smith!" Having no wand at the time, he was forced to use physical measures, naturally. It was perfectly innocent to push Zacharias back like that, pressing his back against the wall. Equally, it was absolutely the natural thing to push his hands above his head, thus leaving him defenceless. Zacharias' wand fell to the floor with a clatter.

They looked at each other, smiles still firmly in place, and there was a tense pause. Eventually, Zacharias murmured, "So let me guess, you like me, right?" He let the question hang for a moment, hoping against hope that the answer would be positive. The silence drew on, and the grin slowly left Justin's face. The thought occurred that this could have been a mistake.

But then, just as Zacharias had begun to give up hope, a miraculous thing happened. Justin falteringly leaned forward, and pressed their lips together in a sweet, gentle kiss. Zacharias let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, letting out with it all the doubts and fears he had suppressed over the past days. Yes, this was what he'd been missing, what he'd been hoping for. This was all he needed.

Justin drew back and smiled, sheepishly.

"I guess you could phrase it like that, Smith, you could." They leaned their heads together and stood there, smiling faintly.

Zacharias couldn't have cared less that Justin was drenching his clothes, could have cared a _lot_ more about Justin's current state of dress. He ran a hand up the other boy's soaking back, relishing their closeness, and whispered, "I was terrified for a moment there that you were going to ask me what on earth I was talking about."

Justin laughed anew, retorting, "Why in hell would I do that? It's you- it's _always_ been you. From the very beginning."

They leaned towards each other again, this time with no hesitation, and lost themselves in each others' presence, in another intoxicating kiss. They heard Ernie walk in, squeak quietly and walk out again, but they didn't care. They had each other and, in that moment of bliss, nothing else mattered.

Fini 


End file.
